Weekly Shonen Jump's print circulation has fallen below one million copies for the first time since audited figures began in 2008, while its 33rd issue sold out nationally due to scalpers targeting a bonus One Piece Card Game promo card. The magazine is also distributing a Nike collaboration card set to all digital edition subscribers who apply.
Weekly Shonen Jump is in a period of record-low print circulation and record-high scalping pressure. In August, the Japan Magazine Publishers Association reported the magazine averaged 985,000 certified print copies per quarter from April to June 2026, the first time it dropped below one million since the association began publishing audited figures in 2008. No print magazine in Japan now has a certified circulation above one million copies. The magazine's decline has been steady for at least 12 years, from 1,290,417 copies in April-June 2022, below two million in 2017, and below 1.5 million in late 2020. Its record was 6.53 million copies with the combined New Year 1995 issue, released in December 1994, when it serialized Dragon Ball and Slam Dunk.
The same pressure that is shrinking print circulation is also driving resale activity. In July, the 33rd issue sold out at bookstores and convenience stores across Japan after scalpers targeted its bonus One Piece Card Game promotional card. Shueisha increased the print run by 500,000 copies ahead of release, but the extra supply was quickly exhausted as resellers bought multiple copies. The shortage frustrated fans of Blue Box, since the issue contained the manga's final chapter after a five-year serialization. A university student told Oricon he bought about 25 copies within an hour, reselling the cards for 800 to 1,000 yen each and earning roughly 18,000 yen in profit. He said he did not feel he had done anything wrong because the chapter is available digitally.
The magazine is responding to card demand through its digital route. In September, the editorial department announced it will give the One Piece Premium Card Collection Nike Collaboration Edition to all applicants, limited to digital edition subscribers. The set includes Don!! Cards modeled after shoes based on the Gomu Gomu no Mi, Mera Mera no Mi, and Ope Ope no Mi, plus a Monkey D. Luffy character card wearing Nike shoes. Applications run from September 18 to October 18, one set per person. This all-applicant program removes the lottery and purchase requirement that drove the print scalping.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the cited Yomimono stories below, each itself
sourced, then editorially reviewed. Every
fact links the story it came from.
Sep 3
The Weekly Shonen Jump editorial department will give the One Piece Premium Card Collection Nike Collaboration Edition to all applicants, limited to digital edition subscribers of the magazine. The set includes Don!! Cards modeled after shoes based on the Gomu Gomu no Mi, Mera Mera no Mi, and Ope Ope no Mi, plus a Monkey D. Luffy character card wearing Nike shoes. Applications run from September 18 to October 18, one set per person.
Aug 6
The Japan Magazine Publishers Association reported on Wednesday that Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump averaged 985,000 certified print copies per quarter from April to June 2026, the first time the magazine has dropped below one million since the association began publishing audited figures in 2008. The decline means no print magazine in Japan now has a certified circulation above one million copies. Weekly Shonen Jump's print circulation has fallen steadily for at least 12 years, from 1,290,417 copies in April-June 2022, below two million in 2017, and below 1.5 million in late 2020. The magazine's record circulation was 6.53 million copies with the combined New Year 1995 issue, released in December 1994, when it serialized Dragon Ball and Slam Dunk. In the same quarter, Kodansha's Weekly Shonen Magazine averaged 281,000 copies, Shogakukan's Weekly Shonen Sunday averaged 120,000, and Monthly CoroCoro Comic averaged approximately 213,000. The figures come as Japan's manga magazine market shrank by 12.7% in 2025, and the print market as a whole fell below one trillion yen for the first time since 1976.
Jul 15
The 33rd issue of Weekly Shonen Jump sold out at bookstores and convenience stores across Japan after scalpers targeted its bonus One Piece Card Game promotional card, leaving many readers unable to purchase the magazine. Publisher Shueisha had increased the print run by 500,000 copies ahead of release in response to demand for the card, but the extra supply was quickly exhausted as resellers bought multiple copies. The shortage particularly frustrated fans of Blue Box, as the issue contained the manga's final chapter after a five-year serialization. While the chapter is available digitally, many readers wanted a physical copy as a keepsake. In an interview with Oricon, a university student admitted buying about 25 copies of the magazine within an hour, reselling the promotional cards for 800 to 1,000 yen each and earning roughly 18,000 yen in profit. When asked about the impact on other readers, he said, "You can read it digitally anyway. I understand why people want the physical copy, but I don't feel like I've done anything wrong." Convenience store employees described the release day rush as unusually intense, with one clerk telling Oricon that customers grabbed copies the moment they were placed on shelves, calling the atmosphere "a little scary."